


I’m The Fool That Wants You

by cloudedink



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Art School, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Abuse, F/F, Fluff without Plot, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Out of Character, Suicidal Thoughts, christmas break, lots of kissing oops, prom lowkey, they'd be pretty different personality wise if they hadn't been isolated growing up, what happened to this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-05 02:06:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18356384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudedink/pseuds/cloudedink
Summary: The teacher's monotone voice trailed on and on while assigning students to their seats. With fingers crossed that she would be put in the back by herself, Mantis held onto her textbook and composition book. She started at the ground, tuning out every name that wasn't her own.  “Quill.” Her head shot up to look at which desk her teacher had pointed at. It was in the back, that's good, but she wasn't by herself. Damnit.





	1. Junior Year

The teacher's monotone voice trailed on and on while assigning students to their seats. With fingers crossed that she would be put in the back by herself, Mantis held onto her textbook and composition book. She started at the ground, tuning out every name that wasn't her own. “Quill.” Her head shot up to look at which desk her teacher had pointed at. It was in the back, that's good, but she wasn't by herself. Damnit.

She walked over to the desk and set her books on it and square backpack on the ground before sliding into the chair. Mantis glanced over at the girl sitting next to her. Her eyes widened when she saw how tall the girl was, even when sitting down. Her hair was in a pixie cut which caused her eyes to widen more. Mantis was used to seeing pixie cuts, but never on bright red hair, which is what this girl had. Mantis quickly tore her gaze away when the girl turned to look at her.  
For the rest of the class block, Mantis was either staring straight ahead or at her book. Her shoulder-length, raven black hair shielded her face from her new deskmate who continued to curse under her breath everytime a new vocabulary word showed up. Everytime the girl cursed, Mantis discreetly rolled her eyes. For being in an AP English class, this girl really did not have a large vocabulary. When the bell rang, Mantis gathered up her stuff and started to leave the class. Before she could get out the door however, her teacher stopped her.

“Mantis, Nebula, will you two stay back for a minute?”

Mantis glanced around at the remaining students to try and figure out which one was Nebula and why she had to stay after class with her. She finally met eyes with the red headed girl who sat next to her. Confusion and anxiety filled her. Why was the teacher making them stay back? Had she done something? Mantis went through a mental list in her head to see if she did anything wrong before coming to the conclusion that she had not done anything.

That only made her more confused. Also, why was the girl- Nebula- so tall? And pretty, she was really pretty, the pixie cut made her even prettier. Mantis pinched the pad of her middle finger to bring her back to reality and focus on why the teacher called them. They both stood in front of the desk waiting for the teacher to start talking.  
“I bet you're wondering why I called you two over here to stay after class,” the teacher said.

“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock,” Nebula muttered under her breath. Mantis's eyes widened and the teacher glared. Nebula glanced up at her before staring at the ground and muttering something that sounded like an apology.

“Anyways, I noticed, Nebula, that you are at a solid D in this class.” Nebula's face fell. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“I highly doubt that.” Mantis could tell that she was trying to be nonchalant about this.

“I can pull your grade up on the computer if you want.”

“No!” she visibly winced as she answered way too fast. “I mean, no thank you. I'm good.”

“Why am I here exactly?” Mantis asked, “Shouldn't this be a conversation without a third party?”

“I was just about to get to that. You see, Mantis, you have straight A's on all of your homework, tests, and essays-”

“What is this? Make Nebula feel like shit 'cause she sucks at writing anything besides poetry?”

The teacher glared at her again. “One more outburst from you and I'll give you a referral, alright?” Nebula nodded, clearly annoyed. “I was thinking, Mantis,” the teacher continued. “Maybe you could tutor Nebula over here.”

“WHAT?” They both exclaimed. “No. No way.” Nebula shook her head.

“Yeah, maybe this isn't the best idea.” Mantis agreed. She looked up at Nebula, really getting a good look at her. Holy crap, she thought. 

“Keep in mind, Nebula, if you don't bring your grade up, you won't be allowed to participate in your creative writing classes.”

Nebula, so clearly done at this point, rolled her eyes and sighed again. They would probably roll into the back of her head, Mantis thought. 

“What will I get out of tutoring her?” Mantis asked, setting her stuff down on the desk behind her because her arms began to ache.

“An automatic A on your final for this unit.” Mantis considered it. Their essay was due in two weeks, but she had monologues to memorize and another essay due for AP US History. She had not even had time to start the English essay.

“Okay,” she said finally, “I'll do it.”

“Excellent," their teacher said with a smile.

“What do you say, Nebula?” she stuck her hand out. “You in?”

“Fine,” Nebua grumbled. She grasped Mantis's outstretched hand and shook it once. For someone who seemed so cold, her hands were surprisingly warm. Mantis wished the handshake had lasted longer. She liked how Nebula's hand felt in hers. Oh no, she groaned internally. 

“Well that's just delightful. You both are now assigned to study block until further notice.” Nebula groaned. Mantis didn't mind. She really had nobody to hang out with, preferring to be by herself. When she wasn't working on homework and projects, she would text her brother Peter, who was in college. He continued to tell her to make friends, but she just didn't? Mantis preferred to be isolated.

“I expect to see you both this afternoon. Here are late passes so you aren't marked tardy. “Have a great rest of your day girls.”

They both took the passes. Nebula bolted out of the classroom while Mantis took her time to grab her stuff and shove them into her backpack. She opened the door and walked to her next class which happened to be dance. When she got there, she noticed that it was a study block and ended up spending the entire time thinking about Nebula. 

**

Mantis stood outside the english classroom waiting to see if Nebula would show up. Finally, she did show up. There was a scowl on her face, but she was still there. Mantis smiled at her, hoping she would smile back. She assumed Nebula would look pretty with a smile, and she wanted to confirm that theory. She didn't smile back, which left Mantis a little disappointed, but it didn't really matter.

“Let's just get this over with,” Nebula grumbled. She went to reach for the door when Mantis stopped her.

“I actually got permission to tutor you in the halls instead of in the classroom. I figured you would rather do this away from everyone else?” Mantis shrugged.

“W-wow.” Nebula looked almost surprised, as if nobody had ever considered how she might feel in a situation that might not be the most comfortable.

“Um, I also thought that today and tomorrow we could focus more on getting to know each other rather than just getting to work. That way it feels more like two, two friends...” She stumbled on the words. “Just two friends studying rather than me just tutoring you because we don't really have a choice.”

Nebula stood there looking shocked. “Okay, I guess.” She slid down the wall and sat dangerously close to Mantis, who took a deep breath.

“How, how did you know that I didn't want to be in the classroom and was not really looking forward to this?”

“I'm really good at reading people.”

“Ah,” Nebula nodded. “Okay, so you already know what my talent is. What's yours?” Nebula glanced over at her. Her eyes, wow, Mantis couldn't do anything but just stare at them. “Mantis?”

“What? Oh, right.” She internally slapped herself. “I'm in visual arts, you know, painting and stuff.”

“Oh. That's cool. I thought you would be in like dance or something.”

“No, I'm not that coordinated.”

Nebula smiled, or, it looked like what she was doing was smiling. “Me too.”

Mantis nodded. They spent the rest of the block talking. When the bell rang they exchanged numbers and mentioned how surprised they were that they got along so well. During her digital drawing classes, Mantis spent the entire three hours wishing that it was still study block.

**

“Mantis, you need to come up to the fifth floor bathroom ASAP,” the text from Nebula read. The tutoring sessions were long in the past, having been done for three months, but Mantis still hung out with Nebula during study block, and developed a full-blown crush on her. Mantis texted back an “ok” and ran up the stairs. She was a little bit out of breath when she got to the restroom. Mantis opened the door to see Nebula pacing back and forth and hyperventilating. She had her arms crossed and was tugging on the sleeves of her dark red shirt. Her hair was a mess and her blue and purple eyeshadow was all smudged.

“Nebula?” The girl set her bag down next to hers and looked up at her. “What's wrong?” Mantis put her hands on her friend's shoulders.

“I, I just...” Nebula sighed. She stepped away from Mantis and paced before looking at her again, but she carefully avoided Mantis's gaze. “I. Mantis.”

“Yeah?”

“I can't. I can't say the words.”

“What?” Mantis stared at her confused. Nebula quickly glanced up and met her eyes before avoiding them again. Everytime she looked down, she looked in the same spot. Mantis took a sharp breath when she realized where Nebula was staring. Her lips. It all clicked. “Do you, um, do you want me to, um.” Mantis bit her bottom lip. “Do you want me to kiss you?”

Nebula's head shot up. “Yes. Yes, you have no idea,” she gasped.

Mantis's heart started pounding. She leaned up on the balls of her feel her pressed her lips to Nebula's. She pulled away and stepped back, crossing her arms. She glanced up at Nebula, who looked at her before leaning in and kissing her back. Mantis stumbled backwards into one of the empty bathroom stalls. Nebula reached her arm back to lock it. Mantis felt her hands pressed up against the cold tile wall she was up against. She could feel Nebula's hand on the back of her neck, keeping her still. Her other arm was wrapped around her waist. Mantis felt chills flood her entire body. Nebula pulled away for air and rested her forehead against Mantis's. Mantis lightly rested her thumb on Nebula's bottom lip. “Holy shit,” she gasped.

“Yeah.” Nebula was breathing as heavily as she was. “The damn bell's gonna ring soon.”

“Yep,” Mantis laughed softly.

As if on cue, the bell rang, causing the two girls to laugh quietly.


	2. Senior Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a slight trigger warning for this chapter as there is talks (and talks alone) of possible suicide. If that bothers you, please skip the first half of this chapter. If suicide does not trigger you, read away :)

The probability of getting a ticket for speeding was high. Mantis did not care, she just knew that she desperately needed to hurry. Hopefully luck would be on her side, it had been so far, she had only been stopped by one red light. Nebula's shaky voice from the other end of the call kept playing on repeat in her head. “Mantis, come to my house and pick me up. Hurry, please.” The yelling in the background, which Mantis assumed belonged to Nebula's father and siblings, only made the situation worse.

She glanced in her rear-view mirror to make sure that there weren't any cops, and kept going. She was only five minutes away from Nebula's house, but she was driving so fast she could make it in two. She spotted the street sign that led into her neighborhood and sharply turned onto the street. The houses that lined in were all huge, they looked like they belonged in a movie, and looked very out of place in a state like Missouri. Mantis felt very out of place driving through such a preppy neighborhood, considering she lived on the farm that her brother inherited from his grandfather after his mother died.

At the end of the street, a figure in a dark blue hoodie stood at the edge of their driveway waving frantically towards Mantis. She pulled up to the driveway and Nebula threw open the door and climbed in. She hastily buckled her seatbelt. “Drive. Just drive,” the panic was evident in her voice. “Mantis go.” Mantis turned the car around and started driving. “Keep going. I'll explain when we're out of sight.” Nebula kept glancing back in the mirror and out the window. A man stood in the road in front of her house. Mantis couldn't hear what he was saying, but he did not look happy.

“Is that-”  
“My father and the whole reason I hate myself and life? Yeah. Just please hurry. He'll probably send my brother after me and trust me, you do not want Corvus anywhere near you.”

“Okay.” Mantis kept her eyes on the road, occasionally glancing back to make sure nobody was following them. “Your house and neighborhood looks nice.”

“On the outside. My house is Hell on the inside.” Nebula took a few shakey deep breaths and hugged her knees to her chest. Mantis glanced over at her to see her heavily shaking and in a shell-like defensive position.

“We'll be at the farm in ten.” She informed her. Nebula only responded by nodding her head shakily. Her face was covered by the huge navy blue hoodie.

When she pulled up to the farmhouse, she stopped the car and looked over at Nebula, who was still shaking as if she had been left out in the snow for two days with no jacket. “Nebula, are you okay?” Mantis's voice softened as she reached out to lightly rest her hand on Nebula's arm. Nebula looked over at her, and Mantis gasped quietly. There was a huge bruise over Nebula's left eye and a large cut that just narrowly missed it. She shook her head, still pretty paralyzed. “Let's get you out of the car and upstairs.”  
Mantis got out of the car and walked around to the passenger's side. She opened the the door and slowly helped Nebula out of the car. 

The entire time they walked up to the house and up the stairs, Nebula said nothing. Every now and then there would be a small gasp for breath, but it was evident that she was still very shaken up by what had just happened. Mantis opened up the door of her bathroom and had Nebula sit down on the edge of the tub. “Neb, what did he do now?”

“Hit me, like normal.”

“There's no way that gash on your eye is from him hitting you.”

“It's not.”

“What happened?” Mantis took both of Nebula's hands in her hands and knelt down on the ground in front of her. She grabbed a wet washcloth from off of the sink and started cleaning the blood off of her hands.

“He, he had one of my brothers grab my head and slam my face into the corner of the wall.” She was shaking even heavier now. Her breathing rapidly increased. “I was struggling against his grip and Ebony narrowly missed where my eye was, that’s what they were aiming for. My sister did not come home again, so I got punished. Thanos uses us against the other 'cause she's the only one I do not absolutely hate and vice versa.”

“What the f- Neb you have to get out of there.”

“I can't.” Tears formed in Mantis's eyes as her girlfriend's voice broke.

“Did he do anything else?”

Nebula nodded. “There's a reason I keep my hair short.” She reached up and pulled the hood off of her head and turned around to reveals small streaks of blood dripping out of her hair and down her neck. “When Thanos is really mad, he'll take a broken bottle and hit me a few times. It used to hurt like hell, but I got used to it. Tonight though-” Nebula turned back around and glanced over at Mantis. “I don't know what I or my sister must've done, but he was really pissed.”

“Neb, you have to report him. You have to go to the hospital.”

“I've tried, Mantis. He always bribes the person into staying quiet or has my siblings, or me, kill them. I almost killed someone but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

Mantis got up and hugged Nebula. “Let's go to the hospital and get it taken care of.”

“No. I can't. You take care of me.”

Mantis bit her bottom lip. “Okay.” Worry and anxiety started to build up. She knew she should force Nebula to the hospital because that was what was best. They could provide her with the proper treatment, but there was so much fear and desperation in Nebula's eyes, so much that she was trying to mask but that managed to slip through little fractures of what she would refer to as weakness, probably because of Thanos, Mantis felt obliged to help her. She stood up and leaned back against the sink. “Do you have anything on under the hoodie that you don't mind getting water and shampoo all over?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I'm gonna go get a new, clean, sweater and sweatpants for you, they might be a little small though so I'm sorry about that. I'll also go get an ice pack and some disinfectant for your eye. Take the hoodie off and I'll be right back.” Mantis walked out of the bathroom and went into her room. She grabbed one of her oversized hoodies, the certain one she grabbed happened to be a dark forest green and white with a small cactus embroidered in the center of the chest area, and a pair of solid black sweatpants which she had recently gotten but were a little too big on her. She let them hang in the crook of her arm and went down the creaky wooden stairs to the kitchen. She reached up into the freezer and grabbed a small ice pack in the shape of an avocado that she had gotten the year prior at the miniature market her school put on every December. With everything in her arms she went back up the stairs and into the bathroom, where Nebula was sitting in the tub in a cropped red tank top and athletic shorts. Her pale skin made the purple and blue bruises stand out more prominently.

“You got the stuff?” Her voice was hoarse as if she had been screaming a lot, which she probably had been, and her voice was just now giving out.

“Yeah, the disinfectant is already in here, but we'll take care of that last. Depending on how deep the cut on your face is, you might have no choice but to go to the hospital,” she brought it up again, hoping Nebula would be a little more compliant this time.

“It's not that deep. Now let's get this over with, it's gonna sting, I already know that.”

“Probably. Okay, warm or cold water?”

“Cold. Hopefully it'll numb not only the physical pain, but the emotional pain too.”

“Nebula,” Mantis glared at her.

“Sorry.”

Mantis sighed and set the clothes and ice pack down on the sink's counter and sat on the edge of the tub. She turned the faucet on and set the shower head to one of the more gentler settings, so that the water would not be violently spit onto the cuts on Nebula's head. She squeezed a small amount of shampoo into her hands and gently began massaging it into Nebula's hair, trying to be as delicate as possible, still apologizing whenever Nebula tensed up or hissed in pain. She grabbed the shower head and rinsed the shampoo out, wincing herself when she saw the shampoo run down the tub a subtle pink from the blood instead of the normal white color that it should be. After making sure that all of the shampoo was out, Mantis turned the shower off and grabbed a towel to give to Nebula to dry herself off. “I'm gonna go change into dry clothes, you change into the clothes on the sink and meet me in my room. Don't forget the ice pack. Or the disinfectant.”

“Yes, Mom,” Nebula said mockingly.

Mantis closed the door behind her and went into her room, switching on her multiple strings of fairy lights and salt lamp instead of the ceiling fan and changed into a mustard yellow sweater with a minimalistic Saturn embroidered on it and black leggings. She threw her wet clothes in the laundry and sat on the edge of her bed. Not a minute later, Nebula opened the door and sat down next to her. “You've changed this place up haven't you? Your clothing rack used to be between these two walls and now your bed is.”

“Yeah, it feels a lot more homey, don't you think?”

“Definitely.” Nebula layed down and snuggled up under the untucked yellow (like the rest of Mantis's room and personality) comforter and up against one of the many massive white pillows. Mantis laid down next to her. She propped her head up on her hand and used her other hand to brush some of the wet hair off of Nebula's forehead. She softly pressed her lips to her forehead and lightly smiled at her. “You'll be free soon, just a few more months.”

“Mantis,” Nebula's gaze softened, “What if I didn't wait a few more months?”

“What?” Her brow furrowed. “How?”

“I've been thinking,” she looked away and swallowed. “I... What if I just ended it?”

“What?”

“I'm tired and I done with suffering. If I just kill myself he can't hurt me. You'll move on and be fine. It's not a big deal. I just want the abuse to be over.”

“What are you talking about!” Mantis sat up sharply. “I would not be fine. No.” She shook her head.

“I, I just, it hurts I don't know. I'm just done, Mantis.”

“Shut up. Shut the hell up, Neb.”

“But is it really worth it? Am I really worth it?”

“Yes,” Mantis sniffled back a sob, “You are.”

“You're just saying that,” a small tear dropped off of Nebula's face. “I've tried proving myself worthy to him and no matter what I do it's not enough. I'm weak and a coward and I'm not worth it. I've tried fighting it but Thanos is right. I am pathetic.”

“Stop, please just stop.”Mantis wiped the tears off of her face and tucked her hair back before leaning over and shutting her up. Nebula leaned into the kiss and Mantis held her face in her hands. She felt and tasted salty tears that weren't her own on her face but she didn't care. She felt Nebula's hand snake up into her hair and down her back, resting on the hem of her sweater. Mantis pulled away and rested her forehead against Nebula's. “I love you,” her voice broke. Nebula's eyes widened and she pulled Mantis down to kiss her again. Mantis felt Nebula shake from crying and she sat up. She took her thumb and wiped some of the tears away. “Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up. We won't go to school tomorrow.” Mantis laid down next to Nebula and grabbed her hand. Nebula responded by cuddling up next to her and quickly falling asleep.

**

“Not to be gay, but you look hot.” Mantis smirked as Nebula walked down the stairs of her house. She had started staying over more often than not, especially after Nebula realized her sister probably wasn't coming home. Mantis had turned one of the extra guest bedrooms into a room specifically for Nebula, despite the fact that she preferred to be in Mantis's room instead.

“Mantis you are gay. I hope. Or else this would be awkward.” Nebula raised her eyebrows.

“Did I just hear you say a joke? Miss 'I'm always serious and never have time for humor.'”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

“I'm tempted, but no. You spent a long time on your makeup and hair.”

“How considerate of you.” Mantis wrapped her arms around Nebula's neck and rested her forehead against hers. She was practically grinning from ear to ear. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Nebula kissed her. “But I am never wearing another dress.”

Mantis rolled her eyes and stepped back, crossing her arms. “Seriously? Never?”

“Never,” Nebula said with certainty.

“Fine.”

The drive to the prom venue was pretty short with Mantis doing extra touch ups on her makeup and fixing the concealer on Nebula's eye to hide the small scar that she had from when her brothers smashed her into the wall, because their father told them to. Both of their dresses were black with red accents. Mantis would have preferred to have a little bit of a lighter color, but the only way Nebula was willing to wear a dress was if she picked out the color scheme. Mantis liked the dress though, so she didn't really mind the dark colors.

Immediately upon entering the venu, Mantis's head started to hurt. The smell of sweat and alcohol and the noise caused her to want to immediately leave and go outside. She began to start shaking from the loud sounds. “I'm gonna go outside. I can't do this. There's too much noise.”

“Okay. I'll be out there if you aren't back in fifteen minutes?”

“Sounds good.”

Mantis pushed her way past people as fast as she could to get outside as soon as possible. She sighed with relief as a wave of fresh air washed over her. The sun was still up, barely starting to set, and she watched it while sitting on a bench that overlooked a small lake. She was going to miss the Missouri sunsets, but New York would have decent ones too, just instead of over nature they would be over the city. She also had no idea how she and Nebula were going to manage with a long distance relationship, since Nebula was going to college in California, and would be waking up when Mantis was already in class. They would manage, right?

“It's been fifteen minutes.” Nebula's voice made Mantis jump out of her trance.

“Already?”

“Yeah.” Something about Nebula seemed off. She was talking faster than normal and avoiding eye contact. Her phone buzzed and she glanced down at it, her eyes widening and bottom lip trembling.

“Is everything okay,” Mantis asked, her brows furrowed.

“No.”

“What's wrong?”

“We have to break up.”

“What?”

“I’m,” Nebula glanced down, “breaking up with you. I’m sorry.” 

Mantis blinked back the tears that sprung in her eyes. “Did I do anything? I thought everything was good between us?”

“You didn’t do anything, Mantis. Get that out of your head.” 

Mantis sniffed and nodded. “Then why?” 

Nebula bit her lip. “My sister and I, we’re about to do something. And if something happens to me, I don’t want you getting caught up in it.” She glanced up at her. “I’m trying to protect you.” 

“You don’t have to, Nebula.”

“This is not negotiable. My sister is on her way to pick us up and we’ll drop you off at your house and that’ll be it.” She avoided her eyes, probably out of fear that she would break. 

Mantis looked away. “It’s fine. My brother can take care of me.” 

“I’m sorry, Mantis.” Nebula’s voice broke. 

Mantis turned and walked away, quiet tears dripping off her face, with her heart breaking a little more with each step. 

***

Every movement she made was stiff and robotic, changing out of her dress and into sweats, wiping off her makeup, and laying down in her bed, alone, feeling uncertain in the sudden extra space. Mantis grabbed her phone and started scrolling through YouTube videos when a news story popped up on the trending page. The title read “Successful Businessman and Four Young Adults Dead From House Fire, One Missing, One in Critical Condition.” Mantis clicked on it. 

She gasped. It was Nebula’s house. So that was what was going on, she thought. She clicked on the video and teared up when the camera panned over Nebula being carried into the back of an ambulance with a knife stuck in her shoulder. She shouldn’t be there. She should be with her, cuddled up under the covers, but she wasn’t. She could die any moment. 

Mantis broke down into sobs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty ladies and gents, so just incase it was not clear enough, Nebula's thoughts of suicide were a last resort if she couldn't escape Thanos and her siblings. Since she managed to get away, they started to drift away. I just wanted to make that clear because the last thing I want to do is give off the impression that depression and suicidal thoughts could be cured by love. 
> 
> On that note, please leave comments and kudos if you liked this chapter. The final chapter will be uploaded next week. :)


	3. Freshman Year, College

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the chapter being almost a week late. I was with my friends on Friday and then other stuff came up in my life but the chapter is here now.

Mantis rolled her eyes upon finding her roommate passed out on the couch in their apartment. There was a drawing tablet sprawled on her lap and a pen barely hanging onto her outstretched fingers that dangled over the couch. The girl’s blonde hair almost completely covered her face and she was snoring loudly. “Liri,” she nudged her shoulder, “Liri wake up. Your tablet is about to fall off.” The girl, startled, sat up rapidly, knocking the tablet onto the ground.

“Shit,” she muttered. She glanced up at Mantis. “I can’t wait for you to go back to Missouri ‘cause that means that I get three whole weeks without having to deal with you.”

“Nice to see you too. Remember you and Jackson need to stay out of my room,” she said as she set groceries on the kitchen counter. 

“We aren’t together anymore,” Liri set her tablet on the table and walked down the hall. 

“That’s a shocker,” Mantis muttered, hoping that Liri wouldn’t hear her. She constantly was with some new guy, claiming that she “wanted to keep her life interesting.”  
Mantis tried not to judge, but she didn’t understand how someone could be with someone for a week and then casually break up with them, then two days later be with someone else. 

Over the summer and even first semester of school, she tried finding someone new, but she had no connection to any of the girls she met up with. Eventually she gave up, hoping that someday someone would come by. 

She started unloading the bags, placing pasta and rice in little jars in the pantry and cereal in cute containers on top of the fridge. She took bananas and pomegranates and placed them in a basket on the counter and tossed the cloth bags into the closet.

Her suitcases were all packed for her flight that night. They were white with yellow flowers and the last thing she needed to pack in them were all of her Copic Markers. Liri had her own, but she often misplaced them, and Mantis couldn’t trust that she would leave hers alone. All five sets fit neatly into a miniature version of the suitcases. She zipped it up and started dragging the suitcases down the stairs and into her car.

“Damn, Mantis, you’re taking that many suitcases for a three week trip to Missouri? What are you even gonna do down there?” 

“Ava, you know Liri can’t be trusted with Copics.”

Her other roommate laughed. “True.” Her pink bob shook.

“Plus I’m meeting my brother’s girlfriend. I wanna look nice.”

“Does she have a sister?” Ava smirked and nudged Mantis with her elbow.

Mantis rolled her eyes. “You know I gave up on that. I still don’t think I’m over my ex, ya know?” 

“What if you run into her?” 

“I won’t. She lives in California and has no reason to come back home. Her only remaining family member went missing last year. There’s no chance of me seeing her.”

Mantis was wrong.

The cafe she was meeting Peter and his girlfriend in was cozy with fake fireplaces lining the walls. The oak floors and log cabin walls really made Mantis feel as though she were in the mountains. She was glad that she decided to wear ripped black jeans and a yellow flannel instead of a red dress she had from a night out with Ava and Liri.  
Peter caught her eye and he grinned. He waved to her and she smiled back, slightly embarrassed at how exaggerated he was being. She sat down in the booth across from him, his girlfriend, and a figure wearing a black, oversized hoodie, hunched in a ball in the corner.

“This is Gamora, my girlfriend. Gamora this is my younger sister.” Peter said. 

“Pleased to meet you.” Gamora extended her hand out to Mantis. Her light tan skin surprisingly contrasted against Mantis’s own pale skin. 

“Agreed.” 

Gamora looked over at the hooded figure, who had somehow retreated further into her corner. “Sorry about my sister. I forced her to come with.” She nudged the girl.  
Ava’s going to flip, Mantis thought. 

“Nebula stop hiding and say hi to Mantis,” Gamora said. 

Mantis’s heart stopped. There was no way, no possible way- “Mantis?” The girl pulled back her hoodie and gasped. 

“You two know each other?” Peter asked. 

Mantis crossed her arms. “I briefly tutored her in English junior year.” 

Shock and hurt shown in Nebula’s eyes. “Can I speak with you? In private?” 

“Uh, sure.” They stepped outside.

“What the hell was that?” Nebula yelled at her. “I briefly tutored her in English junior year? The hell?” 

“Oh I’m sorry! I wasn’t aware of the fact that mentioning you were my ex in front of our siblings was a good idea. You broke my heart. You think I want to tell that to Peter?”

“Oh my god,” Nebula shook her head. “Why won’t you understand that I was trying to protect you!” 

“You didn’t need to protect me! Besides, if I had known, maybe I wouldn’t have been so scared when I saw you on the news being rolled into an ambulance with a knife stuck in your back.” 

Nebula’s face fell. “You- you saw that?” 

“Yeah. Yeah I did.” 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t- you shouldn’t,” Nebula sighed. 

“I’m gonna go home. Tell Peter I’m not feeling well, okay?” Mantis said.

“Sure. I’ll see you around I guess.” Nebula awkwardly waved before pulling her hoodie back up and going back inside the restaurant. Mantis went back to her car, feeling more hurt and betrayed by Nebula’s actions than she had before. 

Go in there and tell her you still love her, she thought. No. She shook her head. That was not going to happen. She was going to get over Nebula whether her heart wanted to or not. That was an order. 

***

The knocking on the front door downstairs woke Mantis up. She rubbed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but the breaks between the knocks got shorter and the knocks got louder. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, yawning as she went down the stairs of the farm house. 

Mantis flung open the door. “If you’re a girl scout you better have some damn good cookies because it’s the middle of the ni-” she paused when she saw who was on the other side of the door. “Nebula,” she said. “What are you doing at my house at three in the morning? I am trying to sleep!” 

“Can I come in?” the urgency in Nebula’s voice was prevalent. 

“Uh, sure I guess. Even though it is literally three am and I am trying to sleep.” Mantis crossed her arms and stepped aside so Nebula could step inside. Nebula quickly glanced behind her before going inside. When she was under the light, Mantis could see how pale she was, which was a lot paler than normal. 

Nebula sat down on the couch in the living room. “I didn’t want to bother you, especially after what happened at the restaurant yesterday. But I had nowhere else to go.” She glanced up at her. 

“What do you mean ‘you had nowhere else to go?” Mantis said as she was grabbing pillows and blankets out of a basket that sat in the corner. “Here,” she tossed them at Nebula. “You can sleep on the couch.” 

“Thanks…” there was a hint of disappointment in her eyes. Mantis scoffed on the inside. Yes, Nebula “technically” had her own room in the house, but after everything, she could have the couch. 

“Now, what did you mean?”

Nebula bit her bottom lip and glanced around. She sighed and looked at the pillow she was holding. “Ronan. One of the men who used to work for Thanos, he’s after me and Gamora. He knows what we did and he wants to kill us, seek revenge.”

“Shit,” Mantis gasped. “Where’s Gamora now?” 

“She’s with your brother,” Nebula said. Mantis’s eyes must’ve went wide with shock because Nebula quickly added that Ronan knows nothing about her and Peter. 

“Why can’t you stay with them?” 

“Gamora said it would be wiser if we were split up, that way he couldn’t get both of us at once.”

“Ah,” Mantis nodded. “Well the doors and windows are locked because it’s freezing outside and you can stay here till the end of break.” 

“Thanks,” Nebula wrapped the blanket around herself. Only then did Mantis realize the prosthetic arm. 

“What happened?” Mantis asked, her voice suddenly filled with worry. 

“Remember when I got stabbed?” She asked the question too nonchalantly. 

“How could I not,” it was one of the worse nights of my life, seeing you there, not knowing if you would be alright, she wanted to add. 

“Well the knife was laced with something, and before stabbing me, Thanos dragged it down my arm. They had to amputate it to keep whatever it was laced with from entering my system.” 

“Oh my god,” Mantis murmured. 

“I’m fine now. Took some getting used to, all the weird stares and everything, but California is pretty accepting so…”

“Yeah. Ima go to bed now.” 

“Okay, thanks again,” Nebula said. 

“No problem.”  
***  
She couldn’t sleep, especially not with knowing Nebula, who she was still hopelessly in love with, was downstairs. She could talk to her, stop putting it off like a coward and actually do something for once. Mantis, frustrated, threw the covers off of her and got out of bed. She flung open her door only to see Nebula standing there, prosthetic hand raised in a fist to knock. They locked eyes for a moments before Nebula leaned down and briefly kissed her. Mantis stared at her with wide eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” Nebula murmured. 

“No it’s fine, more than fine even,” Mantis said quietly. “Come on, like the old days.” She let Nebula come in and curl up under the covers with her. 

“I’ve missed you,” Nebula said. 

“I’ve missed you too,” Mantis responded, resting her face in the crook of Nebula’s neck. 

“Take me back?” 

“Only if you’ll take me back,” Mantis said, glancing up at her. 

“Deal,” Nebula smiled at her. 

Soon, their breathing slowed. Nebula fell asleep first, Mantis quickly after her. Things were back to the way they were meant to be. And it felt nice, like paradise almost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it! I may end up writing more of this universe in the future, but I don't know. Thank you for reading and please possibly leave kudos and comments? :) I am working on more fics with these two that will be out after Endgame. Thanks for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading the first chapter!!! please leave a kudos or maybe even a comment. they really make me smile :)


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